Taliban militants who have been holding 19 South Koreans for more than a month renewed a threat on Wednesday to kill them if their demands are not met. A purported rebel spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahed, said some of the captives were sick and they were also suffering from lack of proper food.
“If the demands of the Taliban are not met, the Korean hostages face death,” Mujahed told AFP in a telephone call from an unknown location. “Although we want this crisis to be solved through negotiations, it seems the US authorities are creating problems.” He did not, however, set any deadline and it was impossible to verify his comments independently.
The Islamic militant group has demanded the release of some of its jailed fighters in exchange for the hostages.